Given name
Lawanda
“a wanderer”
Lawanda is a form of Wanda. One German interpretation is “a wanderer.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In American use, Lawanda carries the interpretation “a wanderer.” Lawanda is a form of Wanda. One German interpretation is “a wanderer.” Its derivation is not certain.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is American.
How it developed
Lawanda is used as a form of Wanda.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1917. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Lawanda is a form of Wanda. The history of Wanda gives this family its wider story. Wanda appears as a princess in Polish folk tales. The writer Ouida used it for the heroine of her 1883 novel Wanda, helping introduce the name to English-speaking readers.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Lawanda through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 12,099
- 6 boys · 12,093 girls
- Most popular year
- 1977
- 598 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2021. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 592 in 1977. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,713 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Lawanda’s family of names
Lawanda is a form of Wanda. In English usage, Lawanda has a conventional equivalent in the German form Wanda. Lawanda has a related form in Lawonda.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Lawanda
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Lawanda, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Tawana
“a wanderer”
>99% girls
Titania
“of the giants” · “queen of the fairies”
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Tawanda
“a wanderer”
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Latanya
“daughter of the fairy queen”
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Tawanna
“a wanderer”
>99% girls
Taiwana
“a wanderer”
>99% girls
Tristana
“one who is sorrowful”
>99% girls
Élaine
“the shining light”
>99% girls